Nerve pains while walking or sitting too long

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Baybreeze

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Hi everyone,

Since my surgery in '06 I did pretty well for 6 months after, except I felt a pressure type pain deep in my outer hip areas after walking for a couple hours. I did tell my surgeon about it and I also had my hips MRI'd by a hip specialist in the same group. I do have mild OA in there, particulary my right, but it wasnt of any great significance. The hip doc thought maybe it stemmed from my spine. So I just didnt walk around for TOOO long. 6 months later, though, I was hit with severe left sided sciatica, which was mostly due to scar tissue and stuck tissue in the lateral recess at L5. I got a nerve block, which helped my pain. However, the MRI did show 2 large herniations, 2 bulges and bilateral facet thickening/spurring with encroachment from L2 through S1. So in essence, since my surgery, all these levels are now getting worse, which I knew would probably happen, but none of this seemed to be causing me any problems (yet).

But since my surgery, it seems every few weeks I get an episode of something that is causing nerve compression. I am positive that at least 2 times it must have been a herniation b/c I felt a certain spot in my spine that felt a pop and felt like I was stuck there with a hot poker. Then I got nerve pains shooting in both outer hip areas, had to shuffle, and then the spasms started in. Other times I had nerve pain & other symptoms come on slowly until they got real bad; other times I've felt fine one day, then woke up the next morning in agony. So either i Keep getting herniations or scar tissue is causing me problems. I did not get an MRI every time I get an episode b/c I really hate getting MRI's anymore and i've had so many. I almost feel bad for my insurance company LOL. Some times my nerve pain & symptoms would go away for the most part over 2 to 3 weeks. Other times not. But over time, this nerve pain in my hip areas has stayed, sometimes mild though. Other times excruciating where I couldnt move or walk. I had more ESi's in Deceraber and through the end of January, which did help alot. I was able to walk around longer without much pain.

My last ESI was Jan 28th and it's worn off by now. Slowly I have nerve pain coming back. I also have alot of spasms & cramping all over. But the nerve pains & parasthesias seem to only happen while I'm either walking or sitting. I do have some light pins & needles in my toes while laying down, but not really any nerve pain now while lying.

Im starting to think this is getting ridicuous with the nerve pains im getting. It's getting more prominent in my outer hip areas, worse in the left. The other day I got what I thought felt like nerve pain above my left knee on the front. I am getting more frequent spurts of nerve pains again in the tops of both feet. One I got the other day was so intense, I could almost feel it in my brain LOL, it's hard to describe. Like I could hear the zapping of it. I am also getting sharp, quick pains in my right heel, the outside of my right ankle, adn the insides of both ankles!! Also, just recently, while walking, I got what I think might be nerve pain down the front of my left thigh. I also have worsening cramp-like pain in both sides of my rear which goes down the backs of my legs a bit, which is worsening. And now I also have it in the front of my thighs, more notably on the left. I'm also finding myself, once again, leaning a bit forward and to the right. It's just seeming ridiculous that Im getting nerve pains in all these areas! All of the nerve pains seem to happen only while walking or sitting. I dont seem to have any right now while laying down, though. And Im still pretty much able to my PT exercises without nerve pain getting in the way.

Then the other day I sneezed, but none of my nerve pain worsened. I know sometimes when I had sciatica & I was soo afraid to sneeze as it worsened the pain even more. However, yesterday while sneezing, my left hand got pins & needles in some fingers. I just hope this isnt a sign of problems to come in my cervical spine now.

But anyway, sorry this was so long....does or has anyone else had nerve pain only while walking around or sitting too long? Or sitting in certain positions? (I notice that sitting in my car is worse and the more I try to walk, the worse all my symmptoms get)

Oops, also, my leg cramping gets worse the longer I stand, but the nerve pains do not
 
YES to the hip pain too and my legs go to sleep if I sit or stand too long. Actually the calves hurt really bad. I was told years ago I had bursitis in my hips. THe pain went away. Since my injury though, they ache and it hurts to lay on my side. I thought, great my hips are going bad. My hubby has had 2 hip replacements, two revisions last year and is now having to have another total replacement. My orthopedic dr took an xray said it was fine and the pain was coming from my back.
 
Hey girl,
I'm like you, I don't even really tell all the places it hurts because I can hardly believe it myself! So strange! But if I'm crazy then I guess you are too! :dizzy:
No fusion for me either..laminectomy L5-S1 and removal of extruded free floating piece in June 07. ESI's though have not worked for me...as a matter of fact it made me much worse for about 3 weeks. I feel sure it is all nerve pain because when I had my accident I had nerve pain in my right leg along with foot drop and loss of reflex. This IS the same pain! Nerve pain is very distinctive and this is nerve pain! Yes, my last MRI showed scar tissue around the S1 nerve root. While we are talking weird...do the areas of your nerve pain ever itch????? Like a weird itch...scratching doesn't help it???? OK so I'll be the guinea pig and get a diagnosis for both of us!
Good luck with your interview. Maybe tomorrow won't be a "gimpy" day! I will keep you in my thoughts. Post tomorrow and let me know how it goes! Have a good night my nerve pain buddy!

Deb
 
talking about migraines...I just had that short course of steroiRAB and I had a migraine yesterday and today. I don't know to blame it on the steroiRAB or that I've been off the Cyrabalta for 5 days and that has that serotonin effect which has a large impact on migraines. I'm like you, I'm running out of Imitrex and I don't like to take it anyway. I think I have medication phobia now!
Bay, you talk about neurogenic claudication. Is that from your stenosis? I guess this MRI will show if I have any stenosis. Is that from your surgery?
How was your interview?

Deb
 
Its weird b/c other times when ive had sciatica, especially down my leg, I couldnt even move that leg in certain positions and I couldnt even lay down. Even if I moved my good leg in certain ways, it would make my bad leg hurt. Or if I bent in any direction. Right now, though, I dont really get nerve pain while laying down, I do sleep on my sides and my hips dont hurt. And the pain isnt worsening with any particular movements except it does get a little worse if I try to bend back or back & to the sides. I get the worst while walking, and some pains while sitting. I do know in my hip areas taht it has to be from my back, only because one time before I had those pains, I got up and felt a pop and hot knife feeling in my spine...then when I started walking the nerve pain was terrible radiating into both upper outer hip areas and even towarRAB my groin. My rear & back of leg cramping, though, seems eerily simliar to some pains I had before surgery for stenosis.
 
LOL lost spinney twin. I always wanted to be a twin but I could live without spinal issues. When I was going thru the cervical stuff it took forever to diagnose. The neurologist kept saying it was my lurabar issues causing the problem. I had to beg for an mri of my neck. Luckily now my PM really keeps up with both issues. I can't say enough about her, she is kind compassionate and patient. She told me flat out that my migraines were most likely due to the neck stuff. I try to keep my immitrex usage to a minimum too, those possible heart issues really scare me, but man can that pill get rid of a headache and fast. I have started taking phenergan suppositories with mine because I had nausea so bad that I was throwing up my pill before it could work. (I hope thats not too much information.) Well at least we both know that we have someone here that completely understanRAB what we are going thru and that is a comfort too me. I don't know too many people who have cervical and lurabar issues to. Take Care, Dee
 
Hi Bay, I am so sorry you are going through all this. Here is my 2 cents.I have cervical and lurabar fusions and as you know I have had a lot of trouble with my feet, but I have nerve pain in my legs everyday and have had since 1998. My PM had me have another mri of the cervical spine and the stenosis in my neck is bad again and I haven't had lurabar spine mri'd in awhile but I suspect it is worsening too. Today for the first time I actually had the stupid nerve pain in my thigh ( from hip to knee) while I was lying down. Do you have spinal stenosis too? If so that may be why your having so much nerve pain, but I don't understand the cramping. I hate to say it but maybe you should get the cervical spine mri and maybe an emg to see what is going on with the nerves. I wish that maybe you'd wake up one morning and poof no more pain. Wouldn't that be great? I dream of that for myself all the time. I hope at the very least you get some answers. I know for me having an answer helps me deal with the pain better. I will keep you in my thoughts and prayers. Take Care, Dee
 
Deb - before my surgery I had all kinRAB of severe deep cramp-like pains in my rear that went down the backs of my legs. I had alot of compression in my spine. That pain, corabined with feeling like I had an extremely tight vice gripping my lurabar spine, made me not be able to stand erect at all. If I did the pain was unbearable and it would cause my entire legs to go into spasm plus even worse spasming of my rear and back. My surgeon had said that the cramp-like pains was what was called neurogenic claudication. And it did go away after surgery, but for some reason what I'm getting now feels eerily similiar, except I dont have the vice pain.

Dee- yea at first I thought maybe my neck pain was due to me always being bent forward, but once I got sharp pains and the pins & needles in my hand, it made me wonder if something similar was going on in my cervical spine. Seems like some people have some bad reactions to Imitrex, lucky I seem to have no reaction to it, except it gets rid of my mirgraine. Except sometimes I do get nauseous or vomit from the migraine, I just hope I never vomit that expensive pill! Thank god for Cobra right now.
 
Hey Baybreeze,
Are you sure you weren't writing about me? My nerve pains are all so similar I can't even believe it! After surgery it was just on the right..now both legs, arches, heels, inner thighs, "bottom", hips, outsides of both legs, ankles. Moves around and different sensations..burning, ache, bad cramps and spasms, feels like a tight rubber band around my leg, sharp pain, weird movements like bugs crawling inside, pins and needles, nurabness. Sometimes it lets up a little and I think "Oh good, I'm getting better!" Also my lower back now hurts. So I hear you girl....I just don't understand it. What is going on??? How can it move around, get worse, lessen a little? I'm having another MRI and what if it shows no change? There has to be something causing this!!

Deb
 
Baybreeze, I am so sorry I am behind on the boarRAB. I hate to tell you this but oh this pain is so familiar to me and I live with it 24/7. The cramping in the back did not happen to me until after my nerve block w/ epidural injections last Septeraber.

Even after my revision surgery, that deep cramping in the back remains which is why after 12 weeks I remain on heavy narcotics (oxycontin and percocet).

I can not sit with my feet on the floor for more than 5 minutes. I have to be reclined and legs bent in the air (supports my laptop). I also can not walk any great distance. I recently have been able to walk 200 ft without crying. YAHOO!! Watch out people, I am getting fast on my feet now. LOL

If you lean back, are you hearing the popping? If so, I suspect it is your facet joint has probably become arthritic and is not working properly. I had this happen after my laminectomy which is why I needed the fusion. Since my fusion, I do not have this.

It sounRAB like you need a complete workup with an MRI -- not sure if you have insurance. I am sorry you are having all these problems. Definitely not the time or place for you that is for sure.

Please know that I just said a prayer for you and will continue to pray for you daily.
 
Oh wow, Deb, that is so weird! Well, then again, maybe it isnt with us spineys. I don't know about you, but im thinking this is ridiculous, how could I have all these nerve pains all over the place & including places I never had them before. How could we have this all over the place? I mean, I had a feeling I was going to get some pain back after my ESI's, but just a couple weeks now it seems everyday theres another pain in a new place. I wish I could explain it & i'm sure so do you...but Hey, we both know we are not alone in this! I havent told any of my docs of ALL of this, I just told my rheumy about all the cramps & spasms, but only b/c he noticed the spasms in my hanRAB. THe last time I saw my PM in mid Feb, I did tell him Im getting pain back since the ESI's, but all of it has gotten worse since then. Never worrying a doctor not believing me b/c of all the different areas im getting all this, I almost wouldnt believe myself LOL.

Im sorry I cant remeraber, did you have any fusions at all? I did not, I had laminectomies from L3 to L5, no hardware involved. But I do have alot of scar tissue in there. Do you also? Im trying to figure out what could be causing all this expanding pain & symptoms (and in so many different body parts)

Ohh, almost forgot...I actually got a call from somewhere that is hiring, it doesnt quite sound like what I do, but I figured I find out anyway. I actually have an interview tomorrow. This will be something to see the reactions when I hobble in there LOL. I have a feeling this hobbling is really going to work against me. I am more nervous about that than I am about the whole interviewing process. Wish me luck
 
Deb - yes, I know many of the pains i'm feeling are also nerve pain b/c it's usually electric and shocking. I had a bout of horrific nerve pain all down my left leg with nurab foot, no reflex either, and pain shooting from my rear down to my foot!!! I'm trying to think if I ever got an itchiness over the areas of my nerve pains, not really that I can recall. The only itchiness i've had that may be related to all this is when I get feelings that something is crawling on me, but nothing is there LOL. This may be similiar to what (I think) Sage was talking about feeling like water running down her leg. I do get itchiness and hives and such, but not usually related to my nerve pains.

Dee - yeah from hip to knee is a new area for me. I know one day I felt a nerve like pain in a small area above my knee, then a few days later I felt it along my front thigh, and now Im feeling it all along that area. Before my surgery in '06 I did have severe central canal stenosis in my lurabar spine. And this cramp-like pain I'm getting in my rear and upper legs feels very similar to some of the pain I had before surgery. It almost seems like the claudication pain again. I really hope it isnt. Dee, When I had this cramping before, it was alot more severe and it also happened when walking/standing & my surgeon had told me it was called neurogenic claudication. He said it happens when the cauda equina area starts getting "choked off", if you will from all the compression of nerves and blood vessels in there due to the stenosis. I hope it is not that developing again, I dont' see how it can be. I mean, I was pretty good for about 6 months after surgery. As for the cervical area, i've never had that examined b/c my low back was worse. I do wonder sometimes if I have the same thing going on up there. I have had bouts of pain in neck that radiated to my left shoulder, with pins & needles in my hand. It happened a couple times, but never asted longer than maybe 2 or 3 weeks. And yes, that would be a miracle if we could all just wake up one morning totally pain free!

Jonathan - thank you, actually I have been doing PT exercises since April of 2006 and have never stopped. There were long stretches of difficult times with it, but I did what I could anyway.Except where there were some days I had such severe sciatica I just couldnt do them.I started before my surgery with some awesome PT's who have helped me immensely! They even helped me out in ways they didnt have to. Once my 30 days was up with insurance, they offered me to keep going for a small fee & use their facilities. I certainly didnt turn that down and they even still give me new exercises here & there. LOL they even gave me a T-Shirt for being the person who has gone to the PT the longest. So I really have done what I can regarding this and I figure if I hadnt, I might be even worse.
 
Hey Pep, havent seen you in a few days, I hope all is okay! But I see you've made some progress walking, so that is awesome, I guess you are still feeling somewhat better.

Yeah, I seem to do better with my feet up as well. However, last night while laying in bed flat on my back, the light pins & needles in my toes turned into more prickly ones and also went into my outside left ankle & calf. UGHHHH.
And now another thing that just started happening last night & still this morning - I am getting what I sort of describe as twitching all along the back of my left calf and my shin area of my right leg. Last night I also got some of those sensations that feel like a TENS unit is on me....I got them on different spots on back, even upper back. The sensation would buzz for a few seconRAB, go away, then it come back in another area. I'm not having extreme constant pain , the nerve pain I am getting is usually more tolerable, (except for when it hits my feet tops) but the back of rear/legs cramping is gettting more & more prominent while standing/walking as time goes on. But it's just getting ridiculous to me, I cant understand why I'm getting all these (what seem to be) nerve related sensations all over.

If I lean or move in any direction, I have lots of popping & cracking LOL. Right now I'm pretty stiff again and cant bend to far & cant even turn well but however far I can move, I always have sound coming from my spine (and other joints for that matter). I know I have bilateral facet "hypertrophy" from L2 through L5. That was on my last MRI report from last May. I still have Cobra, but only through March the last I was told. Maybe I will try get one of my docs to get another MRI done before the end of the month.
 
Bay it does sound like something is going on with cervical spine. When mine is acting up it is just like having sciatica in the neck. I have the pain in my neck like I do in the hip during a sciatica bout and then pain from my neck radiates into my shoulders and down my arms with the pins and needles you described and sitting is very uncomfortable. Plus I also was dropping stuff all the time and I tripped over my feet a lot. It really seemed to affect my balance. Right before my cervical fusion I couldn't sit up for more than a few minutes at a time-it was awful. It also meant I couldn't ride in a car go to a movie or out or anything. Part of the reason I was so miserable was that I had no spinal fluid in my neck at all. ( I also had a huge increase in migraine headaches). Even after the cervical fusion I continue to have some problems with my neck, but so far we have been able to use prolotherapy and ESI to keep it under control. I know I will probably be facing a cervical fusion again because the doctor only fused 2 of 3 levels that had problems during the last surgery. My neurosurgeon said that was because a 3 level fusion is a very difficult recovery. I just thought I'd share this to see if it sounRAB like what you are going through. I can also say this : Compared to lurabar fusion cervical fusion is a cake walk. I remeraber waking up and feeling great except for nausea from sedation. In fact I only used pain meRAB for two weeks. I guess that also explains why I was very frustrated with lurabar fusion! lol. Boy those recoverys were nothing alike! Anyway if you have any questions about the cervical stuff let me know. Take care, Dee
 
Wow, Dee...are you my lost spiney twin or something?? LOL Yeah, even though whatever was going on in my neck never lasted that long, sometimes the pain was pretty bad. I also had such a spasm in my left shoulder & it was there in constant spasms for weeks. It was actually out of alignment and pushed forward. You should have seen my trying to get it back. I tried with old sweatshirts and my PT strectching strap - I wrapped it around my bicep area and pulled the sweater or strap back behind my back to try to pull my shoulder back, good grief. Also at work when my shoulder were this bad, my head felt like it was too heavy for my body and I couldnt even look down. I tried sitting on different chairs to no avail. So I finally found a box full of catalogs which was about 6" high and sat on that while working LOLOL. It made my arms and head pretty level with my desk, but kinda difficult to answer my phone and work the computer, but helped a little bit.

Right now I have some weird things going on in my hanRAB, arms on & off as I described earlier, but no significant pain in my neck right now. But my migraines are getting ridiculous. That Imitrex only has 9 pills per fill and says one shouldnt use it too much. You know what else, though, I dont think I had any migraines or other headaches with my last round of ESI's. I remeraber never having any headaches while on oral prednisone. I wonder if steroiRAB wearing off has anything to do with my migraines. but it's been over a month since my last one, so maybe not. Well maybe the next time I get neck problems more severely, Ill have it checked out, if I have insurance.
 
I am also getting sharp, quick pains in my right heel, the outside of my right ankle, adn the insides of both ankles!!


I thought I was just crazy! I have been having the exact samething but didn't know what was going on, just knew it hurt!

Lori
 
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